We all have some purchases we make that can't
fit a category bonus on any of our inventory of rewards cards, even by using alternate methods like buying gift cards at office supply stores and the like.
Not exact matches
If you can keep track of these
bonus categories, and manage to
fit at least 6.25 % of your total spending into them, the Discover it ® for Students outperforms the Journey ® Student Rewards from Capital One ® rewards-wise.
It really comes down to whether the quarterly
bonus categories fit your spending style.
While some of these merchants may seem like they
fit a particular
category, at the end of the day stores that qualify for
bonus cash back are left up to Chase's discretion.
With both of these cards, you earn unlimited 1 % cash back on purchases that don't
fit into the
bonus categories.
As long as you manage to
fit at least 50 % of all your purchases in the
bonus categories, you will always come out ahead of the Capital One ® Savor ® Cash Rewards Credit Card — this is assuming you also
fit within the $ 1,500
category limits.
My Discover Platinum for whatever the 5 %
bonus is for that quarter (up to the paltry limit), Discover More card for auto maintenance (5 %), my Chase VISA (3 %) for Drug, Grocery and Telephone bills, my CostCo Amex Business card for Gas (5 %), Restaurants (3 %), Travel (2 %) and CostCo (1 %), Chase Business MasterCard (3 %) for Home improvement, office stores and restaurants which don't take Amex, and my BofA PetRewards VISA for pet - related purchase (4 %) and everything that doesn't
fit another of the
categories (2 %).
In order to get the most value out of your Chase Freedom ® card, you must make sure the
bonus categories fit your lifestyle, and then stay on top of the calendar.
As with all tiered rewards cards, it's important to see if the card's
bonus categories fit your spending patterns — you may find that a flat - rate card or a card that offers
bonuses in different spending
categories gives you a higher average rate of cash back.
You'll still earn one point per dollar on purchases that don't
fit into either of the
bonus categories.
If you want a card that gives you cash back on every purchase you make and even more cash back on certain
bonus categories, the Blue Cash card from American Express might be a
fit.
In addition to a sign on cash back
bonus, there are several opportunities to earn more points per dollar spent on purchases that
fit into certain
categories.
Any purchases that don't
fit into a
bonus category, for example, will earn the most points on a Chase Freedom ® Unlimited card, at 1.5 X points per dollar.
You can rotate it with your other cards to earn a 2 percent
bonus on the purchases that don't
fit under any other
bonus category.
With 1.5 x earning on all of your spending, the Chase Freedom Unlimited ® Card is a great option to regularly use for any of your purchases that don't
fit into a higher
bonus category with another of your cards.
The two most common types of cash back programs are a flat - rate percentage on all purchases, or a
bonus rate for purchases that
fit specified
categories.
You also earn unlimited 1 % cash back on purchases that don't
fit into the
bonus categories.
: If the Ink Business Cash
bonus categories don't
fit your spending needs, consider the SimplyCash Plus from American Express, a CreditDonkey partner.
The best use of the Chase Freedom Unlimited card is for purchases that do not
fit into the
bonus point
categories on your other credit cards.
To take full advantage of those
bonus categories, you'll want to figure out which card best
fits your personal spending habits.
A
fitting replacement for the Discover More ® card, the Discover it ® offers many of the same benefits as its predecessor, including quarterly rotating
bonus categories and no annual fee.
Whether you want cash back or miles, flat - rate rewards, or rotating or set
bonus categories, there's a Discover it ® card that can
fit the bill.
For anything that doesn't
fit into one of the
bonus categories, you always get 1 % cash back.
Remember to review the
bonus calendar first to make sure the
categories are a good
fit.
With both of these cards, you earn unlimited 1 % cash back on purchases that don't
fit into the
bonus categories.
And if a quarterly
bonus category isn't a good
fit for your shopping needs, you might not generate much cash - back at all.
The challenge comes with what to do with all your monthly spending that doesn't
fit into a
bonus category.
That's the same amount of cash back you earn on purchases that don't
fit into one of the
bonus categories.
You'll still earn one point per dollar on purchases that don't
fit into either of the
bonus categories.
I don't know how those
categories fit in with your spending, but they don't include
bonus points for travel spending.
All other purchases that don't
fit into these
bonus categories earn one point per dollar.
For
bonus categories that didn't
fit into another
category, we assumed spending in the «other»
category.
In order to get the most value out of your Chase Freedom ® card, you must make sure the
bonus categories fit your lifestyle, and then stay on top of the calendar.
The higher
bonus -
category earnings rates and lower new cardholder
bonus hurdle may make the card a better
fit for some.
If you can keep track of these
bonus categories, and manage to
fit at least 6.25 % of your total spending into them, the Discover it ® for Students outperforms the Journey ® Student Rewards from Capital One ® rewards-wise.
If you like large signup
bonuses and plan to make a fair amount of purchases in the
bonus categories while staying under the $ 150,000 annual cap, then the Ink Business Preferred ℠ Credit Card could be a great
fit for you.
If the
bonus cash - back
categories don't really
fit your business needs, or you spend above the $ 150k threshold annually, you may want to look elsewhere for maximum cash back.
If the
bonus cash back
categories don't really
fit your business needs, or if you spend more than $ 150,000 annually in those
categories, the Ink Business Preferred ℠ Credit Card might not be the best option if you're looking to maximize your rewards.